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Re(2): tomato acidity
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tomato acidity
Noydb wrote:
Glenna Rose wrote: writes: I've never heard that tomatoes didn't have enough acid to justify open bath canning. I've canned many different types (red only) and never gotten sick. The only thing I've heard is that the yellow tomatoes are a LOWER acid than red tomatoes. I think all tomatoes contain acid. If you're still uncertain, why don't you contact Ball or Kerr and ask them? These are two manufacturers of canning supplies and I'm sure they must have some reference somewhere that indicates unsafe practices. Good luck and let us know what you find. Actually, the new Ball canning book I purchased is where I read that lemon juice needs to be added as there is no guarantee that today's tomatoes have enough acid. They made no reference to a particular type of tomato but included all in their recommendation. The canning tomatoes directions indicates hot water bath (Pages 24-25 with drawings). The directions for canning tomatoes include "Add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid to each quart jar." I didn't like doing it as it seemed likely to affect the taste of the tomatoes but I did it anyway . . . it was not noticeable in the canned product. Even if it had been, it certainly would be worth keeping my family healthy. Ball Blue Book, Guide to Home Canning, Freezing & Dehydration, Copyright 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999. For questions, call (800) 240-3340 BTW, it says nothing about adding salt (or anything else) to tomatoes when dehydrating (Page 106). Hope this helps. Glenna Thanks Glenna, Penny and Pat. I have that BBB and also printouts from the government canning people (too lazy to walk into the livingroom to verify the name of the web site) but, since my parents never added acid I was wondering why -I- need to. The last time I brought this up I was told that it was because of the choice of varieties. I thought I'd try once again to smoke out the names of the varieties that are acceptably high in acid that no additional acid is required. I am growing / preserving Mortgage Lifters this year. This variety has been around for quite a while. I am growing them in very nice soil. What would I have to do to get the acidity levels in the tomatoes to an acceptable level for canning? Use citric acid crystals instead of lemon juice and it won't affect the taste. I'm not sure the amount, but the recipe should give you that as an option. I pressure can my tomatoes, without adding acid. If I was gonna process them in a boiling water bath w/o adding any citric acid, I would pick an old commercial canning variety like "Marglobe" or "Rutgers". In other words, if my parents could do it, why can't I? Several reasons, which interact somewhat. Grandma used the best methods known at the time, and so should you. The USDA continually does research, and processing methods evolve over time. Your parents also might have processed their green beans in a boiling water bath for 3 1/2 hours. The old methods also included boiling canned meats or vegetables (except pickles, obviously) for 10 minutes before tasting them. Now nobody does this, and the methods have adapted to be safe enough to eat the contents right from the jars w/o boiling. (I'm not sure which is the cause and which is the effect here.) People start canning now without ever having been taught how to do it properly, so the new recipes have an extra margin for error. Also our society is so paranoid about germs and so quick to litigate any and everything, I think that adds to the safety margin. I think they go overboard with a few things, but that's just my opinion. Best regards, Bob |
#4
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Re(2): tomato acidity
Thanks for the update. I hadn't heard of this. It may be a broad way for
Ball to cover a wide range of different tomatoes. As you said, some tomatoes are being crossed with others for that perfect tomato and, in some ways, unknowingly we are getting less acidic types. I tried heirlooms a couple of years ago and really found no better flavor than my Celebrity, Early Girl Improved or Better Boys. I pretty much stick to these for their disease resistance and guaranteed good results in production. That may be the reason why I haven't had any issues with acidity being low. I do also grow Grape and Yellow Pear tomatoes, but these are salad poppers and they are not a factor in the canning process. Thanks again for the information. Penny Zone 7b - North Carolina "Glenna Rose" wrote in message news:fc.003d094101a595093b9aca002f8e0de3.1a59543@p mug.org... writes: I've never heard that tomatoes didn't have enough acid to justify open bath canning. I've canned many different types (red only) and never gotten sick. The only thing I've heard is that the yellow tomatoes are a LOWER acid than red tomatoes. I think all tomatoes contain acid. If you're still uncertain, why don't you contact Ball or Kerr and ask them? These are two manufacturers of canning supplies and I'm sure they must have some reference somewhere that indicates unsafe practices. Good luck and let us know what you find. Actually, the new Ball canning book I purchased is where I read that lemon juice needs to be added as there is no guarantee that today's tomatoes have enough acid. They made no reference to a particular type of tomato but included all in their recommendation. The canning tomatoes directions indicates hot water bath (Pages 24-25 with drawings). The directions for canning tomatoes include "Add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid to each quart jar." I didn't like doing it as it seemed likely to affect the taste of the tomatoes but I did it anyway . . . it was not noticeable in the canned product. Even if it had been, it certainly would be worth keeping my family healthy. Ball Blue Book, Guide to Home Canning, Freezing & Dehydration, Copyright 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999. For questions, call (800) 240-3340 BTW, it says nothing about adding salt (or anything else) to tomatoes when dehydrating (Page 106). Hope this helps. Glenna |
#5
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tomato acidity
Use citric acid crystals instead of lemon juice and it won't affect the taste. I'm not sure the amount, but the recipe should give you that as an option. I pressure can my tomatoes, without adding acid. If I was gonna process them in a boiling water bath w/o adding any citric acid, I would pick an old commercial canning variety like "Marglobe" or "Rutgers". In other words, if my parents could do it, why can't I? Several reasons, which interact somewhat. Grandma used the best methods known at the time, and so should you. The USDA continually does research, and processing methods evolve over time. Your parents also might have processed their green beans in a boiling water bath for 3 1/2 hours. The old methods also included boiling canned meats or vegetables (except pickles, obviously) for 10 minutes before tasting them. Now nobody does this, and the methods have adapted to be safe enough to eat the contents right from the jars w/o boiling. (I'm not sure which is the cause and which is the effect here.) People start canning now without ever having been taught how to do it properly, so the new recipes have an extra margin for error. Also our society is so paranoid about germs and so quick to litigate any and everything, I think that adds to the safety margin. I think they go overboard with a few things, but that's just my opinion. Best regards, Bob Ageed : an excellent explanation. With the exception of a couple of low acid USDA varieties which are extremely rare all tomatoes have about the same amount of acid, The differnce is in the sugar content. Yellows and whites have consistently the higher sugar content, My mother canned the all (open kettle) without any problems. |
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